Best Dog Grooming (2012)

If you'd prefer that your dog actually enjoy grooming and come home with an adorable, handmade Japanese bow, La Cañada Pet Grooming, owned by Chia Yasumura and Raygan Henley, is the place to go. Touting a philosophy of customized grooming for breeds from Irish wolfhounds to Chihuahuas, and earning the trust of canine clients has earned La Cañada repeat business from all over L.A., as well as Orange County and Santa Barbara. They strike a perfect balance between over-the-top frilly boutique services and impersonal chain store assembly-line grooming, creating such a warm atmosphere that dogs sometimes jump into the bath on their own. In addition to bathing, cutting and à la carte services, detangling, dry-skin treatments and skunk baths are on offer. Organic, California-made shampoos are used, although customers always have the option of bringing their own. As for the bows that add the perfect finishing touch to each well-groomed pooch? Yasumura spends her downtime making them in a variety of patterns and colors to match each dog's personality. 1319 ½ Foothill Blvd., La Cañada-Flintridge. (818) 790-9175, lcpetgrooming.com.